FIBA World Championships

Technically, USA Basketball has nearly two weeks — until Aug. 26 — to trim the current roster of 15 down to 12. But USA Basketball big Kahuna Jerry Colangelo told NBA.com he thinks the players who are to be cut should know before the team leaves for Europe Monday. “Maybe we do let all 12…

A couple days into the Team USA practices in New York — and with tip-off of the World Basketball Classic tomorrow at Radio City Music Hall — here are two things becoming clear about this team: They are going to use a lot of pressure defenses, and they are going to bomb threes. The defensive…

Danny Granger is too often overlooked — he was eighth in the NBA in scoring last year — a very good player lost on a struggling team. He could use a breakout forum, like Team USA at the World Championships. Except that is now up in the air. Granger thinks he dislocated the ring finger…

The San Antonio Spurs (and the Brazilian national team) dodged a bullet. Tiago Splitter dodged some long-term, season-altering damage to his muscle tissue. Splitter was injured while playing against Venezuela in a pre-Championship tournament game, but according to Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News, it’s been diagnosed as a minor thigh contusion. Splitter has…

You don’t think of France as an international basketball powerhouse — because they are not — but they were going to roll out an impressive and long NBA front line in Turkey next month: Joakim Noah (Chicago), Boris Diaw (Charlotte) and Ian Mahinmi (Dallas). Well, they still have two thirds of that. French coach Vincent…

Can you win a world title in international ball without a quality center? We’re about to find out. Team USA is going into the World Championships in Turkey next month without Brook Lopez — the best center on Team USA by a long shot. Lopez has pulled out of the FIBA World Championships in Turkey…

There is good news for Philadelphia — Andres Nocioni should be healthy and ready to go by training camp in December. Argentina basketball fans, the news isn’t as good. Nocioni sprained his ankle last Friday while training with the Argentinean national team for the upcoming FIBA World Championships in Turkey. Sixers doctors just got a…

Mike D’Antoni has been an assistant coach with Team USA for years. Remember how that was going to help his recruiting top players to New York… Well, there will be no more recruiting this summer. Mike D’Antoni will not be accompanying team USA to Turkey because of back problems, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.…

It’s another blow for Argentina, who comes in to Turkey as the defending World Champions. Andres Nocioni joins Manu Ginobili on the sidelines for the world powerhouse. Nocioni injured his ankle in training with the team but may be able to go for the World Championships, according to FanHouse. The Championships start Aug. 25. Even…

There’s an international tournament going on in Liuzhou City in China, the Stankovic cup, featuring several international teams in a tune-up before the FIBA championships in Turkey. China faced Slovenia, and Goran Dragic had 15 points and 10 rebounds in a win. This is not relevant. What is relevant is that apparently Yi Jianlian was…

It went down pretty much exactly as Rob Mahoney told you earlier today. Tyreke Evans, Gerald Wallace, JaVale McGee and O.J. Mayo have been let go, bringing the roster down to 15. Three more guys will be let go after camp in New York and before the team heads to Turkey for the FIBA World…

Team USA is scheduled to announce their first trimmings from the roster in a few hours, but Chris Tomasson of NBA FanHouse reported that Gerald Wallace, Tyreke Evans, and O.J. Mayo are “expected to be” among those cut from the team this afternoon. Evans was an obvious cut. After tweaking an ankle early in Team…

Brook Lopez is the best center on the Team USA roster by roughly 500 miles. And coach Mike Krzyzewski would walk 500 miles and then would walk 500 more just to be the man who had a real low post presence on his team. But in the white vs. blue Team USA scrimmage Saturday Lopez…

I’ve never really understood watching scrimmages. I mean, I do it a lot. I’ll watch basketball pretty much at any level. But the players are just so removed from the effort level we find most enjoyable to watch. That level, if you’re wondering, is a Game 7 in the playoffs in the semifinals or higher.…

Tyreke Evans is having one of those no-good weekends. The Rookie of the Year should be having the time of his life, celebrating the first 20-5-5 rookie season since LeBron James in 2004, and being a potential leader for Team USA. Instead, not only will he not be joining the team in Turkey, but Evans…

With a deep backcourt that includes Chauncey Billups and Russell Westbrook, there were questions about Rajon Rondo on Team USA. Basically, how would his game translate to the international stage? Could his lack of a steady outside shot cost him? And was he really committed to the team after seeming to waffle on his commitment?…

After Thursday’s practice, Team USA coach Mike Krzyzewski talked about how the players on this team have to get used to the more hockey-like shifts they take — three or four minutes of run at a time, keeping guys fresh. Except Kevin Durant, he’s getting 10-minute shifts, as John Schuhmann noted on the Hang Time…

When Dirk Nowitzki was ruled out for this summer’s World Championships, Germany was ruled out with him. The German national team’s roster is beyond thin, and their only other notable player, Chris Kaman, is barely German. Oh, and not even playing. According to Marc Stein of ESPN.com, Kaman’s involvement with the national team hinged on…

UPDATE 4:32 pm: Lee has been diagnosed with “mallet finger” which is when the tendon that allows control of the part of the finger beyond the last joint comes off. The treatment: wear a split on your finger for six weeks. But this is fairly common and treatable. 3:22 pm: You had a feeling things…

Here in America, we are all about the gold medal. That’s what dream of growing up, what our young volleyball players and gymnasts strive to get. We love our bright, shiny objects that glisten in the sun. So when it comes to international basketball, we are all about the Olympics. That’s what we gear up…

No Kobe, No LeBron, no problem. Team USA is just going to coast to the World Championship. Because we are the USA and we are that deep with talent. That’s what you all seem to think, based on everything from message boards to betting lines. You’re all wrong. The USA is sending a “B” team…

On June 17, Lamar Odom walked off the floor at Staples Center after Game 7 of the NBA finals. Tuesday was the first time he walked back on one. After the first day of USA Basketball camp in Vegas, Odom admitted to FanHouse he has taken the last month off to enjoy life. And enjoying…

UPDATE 8:09 pm: ESPN got a quote from Lee himself, and it doesn’t sound good: “I looked down and my finger was completely turned to the side,” Lee said. “It’s possibly a tendon or a dislocation of some sort. It’s something I’ve got to go have looked at either way. 6:38 pm: The biggest fear…